Additive Manufacturing of a 316L Steel Matrix Composite Reinforced with CeO 2 Particles: Process Optimization by Adjusting the Laser Scanning Speed

摘要

The synthesis of novel materials by additive manufacturing requires the optimization of the processing parameters in order to obtain fully-dense defect-free specimens. This step is particularly important for processing of composite materials, where the addition of a second phase may significantly alter the melting and solidification steps. In this work, a composite consisting of a 316L steel matrix and 5 vol.% CeO 2 particles was fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM). The SLM parameters leading to a defect-free 316L matrix are not suitable for the production of 316L/CeO 2 composite specimens. However, highly-dense composite samples can be synthesized by carefully adjusting the laser scanning speed, while keeping the other parameters constant. The addition of the CeO 2 reinforcement does not alter phase formation, but it affects the microstructure of the composite, which is significantly refined compared with the unreinforced 316L material.